Mervyn Kurlansky, Denmark

AGI member since 1970

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Educated Central St Martins 1960. Director Knoll Int. Design Consultancy 1962. Co-founder Pentagram 1972. Mervyn Kurlansky Design 1993. Equally at home designing brand identity programmes, sign systems, annual reports, brochures, books, posters, packaging and more. Clients include multinational corporations, cultural and educational establishments worldwide. Winner of numerous design awards. Inducted into South African Hall of Fame 2006. Work in permanent collection of MOMA NY, Poster Museum Aarhus, Design Museum Copenhagen and featured in publications and exhibitions worldwide. He conceived and designed books, Watching My Name Go By, the first documentation of New York graffiti, and Masters of the 20th Century celebrating Ico-D London Seminars 1974-1999, co-author of four books on Pentagram. Active in design education, lectures extensively and serves on design juries internationally. President of Ico-D (2003-2005), Fellow of CSD, ISTD and RSA, and a member of AGI and Design Denmark, Honorary Doctorate, National Academy of Art, Sofia, Bulgaria.

Design work by Mervyn Kurlansky


    Mervyn Kurlansky, Denmark (1970)

    Educated Central St Martins 1960. Director Knoll Int. Design Consultancy 1962. Co-founder Pentagram 1972. Mervyn Kurlansky Design 1993. Equally at home designing brand identity programmes, sign systems, annual reports, brochures...

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    Educated Central St Martins 1960. Director Knoll Int. Design Consultancy 1962. Co-founder Pentagram 1972. Mervyn Kurlansky Design 1993. Equally at home designing brand identity programmes, sign systems, annual reports, brochures, books, posters, packaging and more. Clients include multinational corporations, cultural and educational establishments worldwide. Winner of numerous design awards. Inducted into South African Hall of Fame 2006. Work in permanent collection of MOMA NY, Poster Museum Aarhus, Design Museum Copenhagen and featured in publications and exhibitions worldwide. He conceived and designed books, Watching My Name Go By, the first documentation of New York graffiti, and Masters of the 20th Century celebrating Ico-D London Seminars 1974-1999, co-author of four books on Pentagram. Active in design education, lectures extensively and serves on design juries internationally. President of Ico-D (2003-2005), Fellow of CSD, ISTD and RSA, and a member of AGI and Design Denmark, Honorary Doctorate, National Academy of Art, Sofia, Bulgaria.

    Agencies

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    • Mervyn Kurlanky Design

      1960 – 1961

    • Planning Unit

      1962 – 1967

    • Crosby Fletcher Forbes

      1969 – 1971

    • Pentagram

      1972 – 1993

    • Mervyn Kurlansky Design

      1993 – Present

    Awards

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    • 1972/73

    D&AD Silver awards
    • 1980

    Art Directors Club Silver award
    • 1981

    Brno Bronze award
    • 1972

    CDB award
    • 1975

    Package Designers Council Gold award
    • 2006

    Inducted into South African Design Hall of Fame
    • 2011

    Icograda President`s award for outstanding contribution to design
    • 1995

    Gustav Klimt prize
    • 1996

    IG Danish design prize
    • 1986

    Japan’s Minister of Trade and Industry Gold award
    • 2022

    Honorary Doctorate, National Academy of Art, Sofia, Bulgaria

    Other Professional Activities

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    • Advisory board member: MOMA Oxford

      1985 – 1990

    • Board of trustees member: Cass Sculpture Foundation

      2000 – 2014

    • President elect: Icograda (now Ico-D )

      2001 – 2003

    • President: Icograda (now Ico-D )

      2003 – 2005

    • Past President: Icograda (now Ico-D )

      2005 – 2007

    • Chairman: Icis Foundation Board

      2002 – 2006